tIBlWRT 
UfftVERSlTY  OF  lUlNOIS 
URBANA 


C  I  T  Y    I)  C)  C  U  M  E  N  T 


!  1882.] 

Ibniv.of  111.  Library 


[No.  1 4. 


53 


REPORT 


OF  Tim 


C  O  M  M  I  S  S  I  O  IS" 


Railroad 


1HE  UWMey  OF  THE 

MAR  1-1940 

Terminal  Facilities. 


[Presented  April  17,  1882.] 


F  II  0  V  1  D  E  N  C  E  : 

IMiuVIDKNCK  PIIKSS  COMPANY,  PKINTKlJiS    lO  THK  CITY. 

1  8  S  2  . 


^  u.  0^  ^ 


1 


m 


Providence  Xilli.  C 


1 


J 


LIBRARY  Hmm\ 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 

1882.]  CITT   DOCUMENT.  [No.  14 


REPORT 


OF  THE 


COMMISSIOlSr 

ON 

Railroad  Terminal  Facilities. 

[Presented  April  17,  1882.] 


PROVIDENCE: 

PROVIDENCK  PRESS  COMPANY,  PRINTERS  TO  THE  CITY. 

1  8  8  2  . 


THE    CITY  OF  PBOVIDMNCE. 


JOINT  RESOLUTIONS  OF  THE  CITY  COUNCIL. 
[A.pproved  May  5,  1882.] 
That  the  report,  together  With  the  accompanying  plans  of 
the  "  Commission  on  Railroad  Facilities,"  presented  Apnl  17th,  1882, 
received,  approved  and  placed  on  file.  „        ,  e 

Zo:.Z  That  Messrs.  William  Goddard,  Robert  Knight.  Samuel  S. 
Sprague,  Harvey  E.  Wellman  and  Charles  Warren  Lippitt  are  hereby  ap- 
pointed a  commission,  with  fall  power  and  authority  to  carry  mto  effect 
jr  plans,  upon  terms  and  conditions  as  favorable  for  the  c.ty  as  thos 

Id'in  sLi/report.  said  commission  is  also  authorised  to  emp  o^^^^^^^^^^^ 
agents,  clerks  and  servants  as  it  may  deem  necessary,  and  .hall  report 
Quarterly  to  the  city  council. 

RESo'vEi,,  That  seven  hundred  and  fifty  copies  of  the  report  of  the 
commission  on  railroad  terminal  facilities,  together  with  the  plans  accom- 
panying the  same,  be  printed  for  the  use  of  the  city  councd. 
True  copies : 

Witness,  HENRY  V.  A.  JOSLIN, 

City  Clerk. 


Exchange 

RHODE  ISLAND  STATE  LIB. 


1 1 


REPORT. 


To  THE  Honourable  the  City  Council  of  Peovidence  : 

In  conformity  to  the  joint  resolutions  of  the  city  council, 
approved  December  2ncl,  1881,  the  undersigned  were  ap- 
pointed by  His  Honour  the  Mayor,   Commissioners  "to 
appraise  the  lands  belonging  to  the   city  known  as  the 
'cove'  and  'cove  lands,'  to  fix  the  price  thereof,  and  to 
negotiate  the  sale  or  exchange  of  the  whole  or  any  part  of 
said  lands  with  the  several  railroad  companies  desiring  to 
purchase  the  same,  any  contract  made  by  virtue  thereof  to 
%j   be  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  city  council ;  and  also  to 
]    report  to  the  city  council,  on  or  before  the  1st  day  of  April, 
.|    A.  D.  1882,  a  plan  or  plans  for  the  increase  of  railroad  ter- 
1    minal  facilities  for  both  freight  and  passengers,  and  such 
J    new  streets  as  may  be  necessary  in  consequence  of  the  adop- 
tion of  their  proposed  plan  or  plans,  with  authority  to  employ 
a  secretary  and  such  assistance  of  engineers  or  otherwise 
as  may  be  deemed  necessary  to  the  proper  performance  of  their 
.tluty." 

J ;  The  Commissioners  met  for  organization  on  the  14th  of 
December,  1881,  and  from  that  day  they  have  devoted  their 
lime  to  the  consideration  of  the  important  and  perplexing 
questions  submitted  to  them  by  these  resolutions  of  the  city 
pi)uncil,  without  regard  to  the  claims  of  their  private  business 
)Y  to  any  other  personal  considerations. 
At  the  commencement  of  their  investigations,  the  Commis- 


4 


CITY  DOCUMENT. 


[No.  14. 


sioners  endeavored  to  acquaint  themselves  with  the  general 
sentiment  of  the  citizens  of  Providence  respecting  the  loca- 
tion of  the  passenger  and  freight  stations,  the  questions  of 
filling  up  the  cove  and  of  grade  crossings,  and  they  also 
invited  the  opinion  of  eminent  scientific  authorities  with 
respect  to  the  influence  upon  the  public  health  and  the  effect 
upon  the  harbor  of  Providence  of  filling  the  cove,  and  of  its 
•occupation  for  railroad  purposes.  The  citizens  were  invited 
to  appear  at  public  hearings  at  which  these  important  ques- 
tions were  fully  discussed,  and  by  correspondence  and  confer- 
ence with  distinguished  engineers  the  Commissioners  sought 
the  instruction  of  their  experience. 

These  preliminary  investigations  satisfied  the  Commission- 
ers that  the  opposition  to  filling  the  cove  was  very  limited^ 
and  that  the  great  body  of  our  citizens  desired  that  this  area 
should  be  filled  and  devoted  to  the  railroad  purposes,  for 
which  it  is  so  manifestly  adapted  by  its  natural  conformation. 
They  also  became  convinced  that  the  cove  basin,  in  its  present 
condition,  exerts  no  appreciable  influence  upon  the  harbor, 
and  cannot  be  considered  as  essential  to  the  preservation  of 
the  public  health. 

Upon  the  subject  of  grade  crossings  the  Commissioners 
found  no  difference  of  opinion  among  engineers  or  citizens. 
Everybody  agreed  that  it  was  essential  that  the  practical 
isolation  between  those  parts  of  the  city  now  separated  by 
the  railroad  tracks  must  cease,  and  that  the  perilous  and 
intolerable  delays  caused  by  the  present  system  of  grade 
crossings  must  be  remedied  by  over-head  crossings  of  easy 
grades."  As  the  Commissioners  were  in  entire  accord  with 
this  universal  feeling,  they  early  regarded  this  question  as 
settled,  and  in  all  their  negotiations  with  the  railroad  corpo- 
rations, they  treated  the  substitution  of  over-head  for  grade 
crossings  as  a  condition  precedent  to  all  concessions  by  the 
city. 

With  respect  to  the  location  of  the  passenger  stations  of 


BEPORT  ON  B.  B.  TEB^IINAL  FACILITIES. 


5 


the  several  railroads,  the  Commissioners  found,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  some  dilTerence  of  opinion  among  citizens  and 
between  the  representatatives  of  the  railroads  themselves  ; 
but  the  proof  was  overwhelming  that  the  solid  sense  of  the 
people  of  this  city  favored  the  retention  substantially  of  the 
present  site  of  the  passenger  station,  for  all  the  railroads 
entering  the  city  of  Providence  which  can  by  any  possibility 
be  brought  to  it.  The  Commissioners,  though  slow  to  decide 
a  question  of  such  vital  importance  without  the  most  deliber- 
ate investigation,  were  unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  the 
abandonment  of  this  site  for  a  distant  one  would  be  a  fatal 
eiror  in  judgment.  The  business  of  the  city,  now  adjusted 
to  the  arrival  and  departure  of  passengers  at  and  from  this 
most  accessible  point,  would  be  seriously  affected  by  any 
important  change  in  the  relations  of  the  passenger  stations  to 
the  stores  and  shops,  in  which  the  larger  part  of  the  business 
of  the  city  with  the  country  is  now  transacted.  Existing 
values  of  property  would  be  seriously  disturbed,  rents  would 
necessarily  be  readjusted,  and  heavy  losses  would  be  entailed 
upon  merchants  and  tradesmen  by  this  needless  change. 

It  may  be  claimed  that,  with  respect  to  the  ease  with 
which  men  and  women  can  reach  the  most  valuable  and  active 
parts  of  the  city  from  the  passenger  station  of  the  railroads 
leading  into  it,  no  city  on  this  continent  can  excel  the  city  of 
Providence ;  and  this  advantage  the  Commissioners  are  not 
disposed  to  lose  by  abandoning  the  site  of  the  present  station 
for  one  remote  or  inaccessible. 

In  considering  the  additional  facilities  for  the  transporta- 
tion of  merchandize  demanded  by  the  increasing  business  of 
the  city  of  Providence,  the  Commissioners  carefully  examined 
the  existing  arrangements  of  the  several  railroads,  and  easily 
satisfied  themselves  that  they  were  entirely  inadequate  to  the 
present  volume  of  business,  and  manifestly  unequal  to  any 
further  expansion  of  traffic.  There  can  be  no  question  that 
the  cost  of  merchandise  brought  to  or  carried  from  Provi- 


6 


CITY  DOCUMENT. 


[No.  14. 


dence  is  enhanced  by  the  deficient  accommodations  for  the 
freight  department  of  the  railroads.  If  this  be  true  to-day, 
what  must  be  the  effect  upon  the  growth  of  the  city  of  con- 
tinuing the  present  system,  or  of  any  temporary  expedient  for 
relief.  Providence  cannot  afford  to  be  at  a  disadvantag-e  with 
respect  to  her  railroad  facilities  with  Boston,  or  any  other 
New  England  city.  Nature  has  given  to  her  many  advan- 
tages, which  she  must  improve  or  take  the  inevitable  conse- 
quences. If  the  cost  of  food  and  fuel,  of  building  materials, 
or  any  of  the  necessaries  of  life  are  greater  here  than  in  other 
cities  in  New  England,  it  is  obvious  that  capital  and  labor  are 
repelled  from,  rather  than  attracted  to  Providence.  That  the 
aim  of  the  city  should  be  in  the  direction  of  cheapening  the 
cost  of  living  to  all  who  dwell  within  her  borders,  is  too 
obvious  to  need  any  argument,  and  it  is  equally  obvious  that 
the  only  way  to  accomplish  this  object  is  by  extending  the 
avenues  of  transportation  to  the  great  producing  centres,  and 
improving  the  facilities  for  a  rapid  and  economical  distribu- 
tion of  merchandise. 

It  is  fortunate  for  the  city  of  Providence  that  her  mer- 
chants and  manufacturers  have  lately  awakened  to  a  sense  of 
the  importance  of  these  vital  questions.  The  improvement 
of  the  harbor,  the  enlargement  of  railroad  facilities  and  the 
extension  of  commercial  relations  have  engrossed  the  atten- 
tion of  our  most  intelligent  and  public-spirited  citizens;  and, 
in  the  prosecution  of  their  own  labors,  it  has  been  no  small 
encouragement  to  the  Commissioners  that  they  had  the  cor- 
dial sympathy  of  the  great  body  of  men  engaged  in  the  ac- 
tive business  of  the  city. 

Their  conviction  that  it  was  chiefly  through  the  agency  of 
the  railroads  that  these  ends  could  be  secured,  early  led  the 
Commissioners  to  the  conclusion  that  they  would  best  sub- 
serve the  interests  of  the  city  by  meeting  the  railroads  in  a 
liberal  spirit,  and  by  striving  to  ensure  these  certain  ad- 
vantages without  needless  delay,  rather  than  by  endeavor- 


BE  POET  ON  B.  B.  TEBMINAL  FACILITIES. 


7 


ing  to  extort  from  them  concessions  and  conditions  grudg- 
ingly yielded,  and  limited  only  by  their  immediate  necessi- 
ties.   The  Commissioners  perceived,  at  the  very  commence- 
ment of  their  studies,  that  no  comprehensive  plan  could  be 
adopted  that  did  not  of  necessity  involve  a  heavy,  and  appar- 
ently burdensome  outlay  on  the  part  of  the  railroad  corpo- 
rations.   It  is  not  possible  to  remodel  the  whole  system  of 
terminal  facilities  of  five  railroads  leading  into  the  heart  of 
the  city,  and  within  two  minutes  walk  of  her  most  crowded 
marts,  and  at  the  same  time  adopt  a  plan  sufficient  at  least 
for  a  half  century,  without  the  expenditure  of  a  large  amount 
of  money.     That,  in  the  increase  of  their  traffic  and  the 
greatly  improved  conveniences  for  transacting  their  business, 
these  corporations  would  find  an  ample  return  for  their  in- 
vestment, the  Commissioners  hoped  and  believed;  but  they 
felt  that,  as  there  were  compensations  to  the  city  beyond  and 
even  more  important  than  the  amount  of  money  she  might 
receive  from  the  sale  of  lands,  it  was  their  duty  to  secure 
these  advantages  to  the  present  generation  ;  and  thus  they 
decided  with  unanimity  that  in  all  their  transactions  with  the 
different  corporations  they  would  adhere  to  a  comprehensive 
but  liberal  policy.    Discarding,  therefore,  all  schemes  which 
contemplated  merely  temporary  relief,  the  Commissioners 
have  sought  in  their  plans  to  anticipate  the  requirements  of 
future  generations,  and  to  lay  broad  and  enduring  founda- 
tions for  the  growth  of  business  and  the  increase  of  popula- 
tion in  this  prosperous  city,  which  it  requires  little  prescience 
to  foretell.    From  the  lack  of  this  forecast  in  the  founders, 
and  even  in  the  later  inhabitants  of  Providence,  more  than 
from  all  other  causes,  is  due  the  contracted,  village-like  lay- 
out, which  it  has  cost  the  city  so  many  millionr  of  dollars 
to  remedy  even  imperfectly.    As  even  under  the  disadvan- 
tages of  lanes  and  alleys,  in  place  of  broad  streets  and  state- 
ly avenues,  we  have  seen  the  irrepressible  growth  of  Provi- 
dence, let  us  not  repeat  the  blunders  which  have  both  retarded 


8 


CITY  DOCUMENT. 


[No.  14. 


this  increase  and  imposed  upon  the  city  the  necessitj^  of  these 
costly  expenditures,  to  keep  pace  with  it  and  to  provide  for 
the  obvious  necessities  of  a  near  future.  The  present  rail- 
road accommodations,  deemed  ample  in  1846  and  for  many 
succeeding  years,  are  now  totally  inadequate  to  the  enormous 
increase  of  the  business  of  the  transportation  companies  oc- 
cupying them.  They  are  not  capable  of  expansion,  because 
the  original  promoters  of  these  important  works  did  not 
anticipate  the  changes  which  would  be  wrought  within  the 
life-time  of  a  single  generation.  But,  in  the  light  of  the 
experience  of  thirty-six  years,  it  dt)es  not  require  the  gift  of 
prophecy  to  foretell  such  a  development  of  traffic  as  shall 
make  needful  every  foot  of  land  between  Gaspee  street  and 
the  Woonasquatucket  on  the  north.  Exchange  Place  and  Cove 
street  on  the  south,  and  a  western  boundary  stretching 
toward  Olneyville.  To  prepare  for  this,  the  old  system, 
which  has  done  its  work,  must  give  phice  to  newer  and  larger 
methods  ;  and  in  adopting  them  the  railroads  should  not  hesi- 
tate on  account  of  the  heavy  outlay  which  they  must  of 
necessity  make,  but  which  will  yield  them  an  ample  return, 
nor  should  the  city  be  reluctant  to  extend  to  them  liberal  and 
helping  hands,  and  also  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity 
to  enlarge  and  adorn  some  of  her  most  consi)icuous  thorough- 
fares. 

Working  upon  these  conclusions,  the  Commissioners  were 
unanimous  in  deciding: 

First.  That  walled  channels,  of  sufficient  width  for  the 
waters  of  the  Woonasquatucket  and  Moshassuck  rivers, 
should  be  built  to  provide  for  the  flow  of  these  streams,  and 
that  the  C(n'e  basin  should  be  filled. 

Second.  That  Exchange  Plnce  should  be  widened  about  125 
feet,  so  that  its  northerly  line  shall  be  in  extension  of  the 
northerly  line  of  Washington  street. 

Third.  That  the  passenger  station  of  the  railroads  should 
abut  upon  the  proposed  northerly  line  of  Exchange  Place, 
and  be  substantially  in  the  rear  of  the  present  station. 


8 


CITY  DOCUMENT. 


[No.  14. 


this  increase  and  imposed  upon  the  city  the  necessity  of  these 
costly  expenditures,  to  keep  pace  with  it  and  to  provide  for 
the  obvious  necessities  of  a  near  future.  The  present  rail- 
road accommodations,  deemed  ample  in  1846  and  for  many 
succeeding  years,  are  now  totally  inadequate  to  the  enormous 
increase  of  the  business  of  the  transportation  companies  oc- 
cupying them.  They  are  not  capable  of  expansion,  because 
the  original  promoters  of  these  important  works  did  not 
anticipate  the  changes  which  would  be  wrought  within  the 
life-time  of  a  single  generation.  But,  in  the  light  of  the 
experience  of  thirty-six  years,  it  does  not  require  the  gift  of 
prophecy  to  foretell  such  a  development  of  traffic  as  shall 
make  needful  every  foot  of  land  between  Gaspee  street  and 
the  Woonasquatucket  on  the  north,  Exchange  Place  and  Cove 
street  on  the  south,  and  a  western  boundary  stretching 
toward  Olneyville.  To  prepare  for  this,  the  old  system, 
which  has  done  its  work,  must  give  phice  to  newer  and  larger 
methods  ;  and  in  adopting  them  the  railroads  should  not  hesi- 
tate on  account  of  the  heavy  outlay  which  they  must  of 
necessity  make,  but  which  will  yield  them  an  ample  return, 
nor  should  the  city  be  reluclant  to  extend  to  them  liberal  and 
helping  hands,  and  also  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity 
to  enlarge  and  adorn  some  of  her  most  conspicuous  thorough- 
fares. 

Working  upon  these  conclusions,  the  Commissioners  were 
unanimous  in  deciding: 

First.  That  walled  channels,  of  sufficient  width  for  the 
waters  of  the  Woonasquatucket  and  Moshassuck  livers, 
should  be  built  to  provide  for  the  flow  of  these  streams,  and 
that  the  cove  basin  should  be  filled. 

Second,  That  Exchange  Place  should  be  widened  about  125 
feet,  so  that  its  northerly  line  shall  be  in  extension  of  the 
northeily  line  of  Washington  street. 

Third.  That  the  ptissenger  station  of  the  railroads  should 
abut  upon  the  proposed  northerly  line  of  Exchange  Place, 
and  be  substantially  in  the  rear  of  the  present  station. 


6^ 


Of  r!i£ 


OF  fMT 


BEPOBT  ON  JR,  B.  TEBMINAL  FACILITIES. 


9 


Fourth,  That  the  freight  yards  and  houses  of  the  Boston  and 
Providence  and  of  the  Providence  and  Worcester  railroads 
should  be  on  the  westerly  side  of  their  present  line  of  tracks, 
and  upon  the  present  area  of  the  cove,  and  that  the  freight 
yards  and  houses  of  the  railroads  entering  Providence  from 
the  west  should  be  upon  the  cove  lauds,  with  such  changes 
from  their  present  position  as  are  indicated  upon  the  plans 
accompanying  this  report. 

In  lieu  of  the  present  dangerous  grade  crossings,  these 
freight  yards  would  be  reached  by  over-head  crossings,  of  a 
grade  not  above  three  feet  per  hundred,  and  of  sufficient 
width  to  accommodate  the  prospective  increase  of  business, 
and  also  to  furnish  convenient  access  to  that  part  of  the  city 
north  of  the  cove  and  the  Woonasquatucket  river,  the  Canal 
street  crossing  to  be  sixty  feet  and  the  Exchange  Place  cross- 
ing eighty  feet  in  width.  The  freight  station  of  the  Stoning- 
ton  road  would  be  reached  from  West  Exchange  street, 
which  the  Commissioners  recommend  the  city  to  lay  out  and 
extend  from  its  junction  with  the  railroad  location  opposite 
the  northerly  end  of  Elizabeth  street,  in  a  straight  line  until 
it  intersects  Cove  street,  and  to  abandon  the  portion  of  Cove 
street  lying  between  its  points  of  intersection  with  West 
Exchange  street,  and  extending  to  the  proposed  line  of  West 
Exchange  street  Bourne  and  Mason  streets,  now  terminatino- 
at  their  junction  with  Cove  street. 

The  Commissioners  have  caused  plans  of  these  proposed 
changes  to  be  prepared,  and  they  submit  them  to  the  approval 
of  the  city  council  as  a  part  of  this  report.  These  plans 
indicate  the  proposed  site  and  arrangement  of  the  passenger 
station,  and  the  location  and  divisions  of  the  freight  yards. 
They  also  show  the  area  of  valuable  land  on  Canal  street 
which  will  revert  to  the  city  when  it  shall  be  abandoned  by 
the  Providence  and  Worcester  and  Boston  and  Providence 
Railroad  Companies,  and  from  the  sale  of  which  the  Commis- 
sioners believe  that  the  city  will  receive  an  important  sum  of 


10 


CITY  DOCUMENT. 


[No.  14. 


money.  The  city  council  will  perceive  that  the  plans  sub- 
mitted by  the  Commissioners  contemplate  building  a  channel 
for  the  waters  of  the  Moshassuck  river  in  a  direct  line  to  the 
Providence  river,  and  covering  this  channel  from  Smith  street 
to  its  junction  with  the  Providence  river.  The  Commission- 
ers think  that  the  whole  of  the  open  space  of  water  between 
the  present  cove  basin  and  Weybosset  bridge  should  be 
bridged  over,  and  opened  to  the  use  of  the  public.  Both  as 
a  convenience  to  the  public  and  as  an  adornment  to  the  city, 
this  improvement  will  be  of  great  value.  The  plans  also 
show  other  parcels  of  land  which  the  several  railroad  com- 
panies, should  the  plans  of  the  Commissioners  be  adopted, 
will  exchange  for  equal  areas  upon  their  proposed  new  loca- 
tion, subject  to  the  same  conditions  limiting  their  occupation 
to  railroad  purposes  as  accompany  their  present  grants  from 
the  city. 

As  these  plans  indicate  distinctly  all  the  changes  in  the 
passenger  and  freight  departments  which  are  contemplated 
by  the  Commissioners,  it  is  not  necessary  that  they  should  be 
repeated  in  detail  in  this  report.  The  Commissioners  invite 
the  careful  consideration  of  the  city  council  to  these  plans, 
and  to  the  proposed  arrangement  of  the  passenger  station, 
with  the  remark  that,  in  suggesting  a  plan  and  an  elevation 
for  this  structure,  they  have  merely  sought  to  show  what,  in 
their  opinion,  will  be  a  convenient  arrangement  of  the  sta- 
tion, and  an  elevation  of  dignity  and  architectural  merit 
becoming  its  conspicuous  position.  The  details  of  this 
building  may  be  changed  by  the  railroad  companies,  in  order 
to  adapt  them  to  their  own  wishes  and  to  their  better 
knowledge  of  the  convenience  of  the  public. 

The  Commissioners  gratefully  acknowledge  their  obliga- 
tions to  Mr.  Samuel  M.  Gray,  the  accomplished  city  engi- 
neer, by  whom  these  plans  were  drawn,  for  the  unwearied 
patience  with  which  he  has  assisted  them  with  all  the 
resources  of  his  experience  and  with  the  labors  of  his  expert 
assistants. 


BE  FORT  ON  B.  B.  TEBMINAL  FACILITIES. 


11 


After  they  had  matured  their  plans  for  the  proposed  changes 
of  location,  the  Commissioners  gave  their  attention  to  the 
appraisal  of  lands  belonging  to  the  city,  and  to  negotiations 
with  the  railroad  companies  for  their  purchase  or  exchange. 
These  corporations  cannot,  without  their  own  consent,  be  dis- 
turbed in  the  occupation  for  railroad  purposes  of  the  land 
granted  them  by  the  city,  and  consequently  the  assent  of  the 
several  railroad  companies  is  essential  to  all  changes  of  loca- 
tion and  to  all  exchanges  or  sales  of  land.    The  Commission- 
ers assumed  that  the  city  would  be  unwilling  to  extort  from 
their  necessities  terms  and  conditions  which  might  appear  to 
them  exacting  or  oppressive,  and  by  consequence  might  defeat 
the  carrying  out  of  the  comprehensive  plans  which  the  Com- 
missioners believed  would  prove  to  be  of  incalculable  advan- 
tage to  the  city.    As  they  had  proposed  to  the  railroad  com- 
panies changes  in  location,  the  abandonment  of  all  their 
present  buildings  and  the  construction  of  new  ones  in  their 
stead,  which  would  of  necessity  involve  the  expenditure  of  a 
large  amount  of  money,  and  as  they  had  also  insisted  upon 
the  construction  of  expensive  over-head  crossings  at  Charles 
street,  at  the  entrance  from  Canal  street  to  the  proposed 
freight  yards  of  the  Boston  and  Worcester  Railroads,  both  of 
which  are  to  be  built  and  maintained  by  the  Boston  and  Prov- 
idence and  Providence  and  Worcester  Railroad  Companies,  at 
Elizabeth  street  to  Harris  avenue,  and  from  Exchange  place 
to  the  freight  yards  of  the  New  York  and  New  England  and 
the  Providence  and  Springfield  Railroads,  and  thence  to 
Promenade  and  Gaspee  streets,  which  are  to  be  built  and 
maintained  by  the  railroads  entering  the  city  from  the  south 
and  west,  the  Commissioners  felt  justified  in  appraising  the 
lands  belonging  to  the  city  at  prices  which  they  thought  would 
induce  the  railroad  companies  to  adopt  their  plans,  and  under- 
take the  important  and  costly  changes  contemplated  by  them. 

They  therefore  proposed  to  the  several  railroad  companies 
that,  the  city  council  approving,  the  city  of  Providence  would 


LIBRARY 

UNiVERSilY  OF  111 


12 


CITY  DOCUMENT. 


[No.  14. 


take  all  lands  abandoned  by  the  several  railroad  companies 
in  consequence  of  the  changes  in  location  proposed  by  the 
Commissioners,  and  in  lieu  thereof  would  convey  to  the  sev^ 
eral  corporations  a  like  amount  of  land  in  the  cove  or  on  the 
cove  lands,  to  be  occupied  for  railroad  purposes.  Secondly, 
the  city,  having  caused  the  walls  of  the  projected  channels  of 
the  Woonasquatucket  and  Moshassuck  rivers  to  be  built,  and 
the  cove  basin  to  be  filled,  would  convey  for  railroad  pur- 
poses such  areas  of  land  as  they  might  require,  at  the  price 
of  one  dollar  per  foot  for  the  cove  and  the  cove  promenade, 
and  seventy-five  cents  per  foot  for  the  cove  lands  lying  west 
of  the  cove  promenade.  It  was  also  proposed  by  the  Com' 
missioners  that  the  Boston  and  Providence  and  Providence 
and  Worcester  Kailroad  Companies  should  not  be  required  to 
pay  for  the  area  covered  by  the  water  of  the  Woonasqua- 
tucket river,  but  should  be  allowed  to  extend  their  tracks  and 
buildings  over  it,  with  the  stipulation  that  these  corporations 
should  cover  this  channel  in  a  substantial  manner,  and  main- 
tain this  covering  ;  and  these  corporations  were  also  required 
to  keep  open  a  street  not  less  than  sixty  feet  in  width  leading 
from  the  Canal  street  crossing  to  the  northerly  end  of  the 
crossing  from  Exchange  place,  and  also  connecting  with  the 
freight  yards  west  of  the  cove  by  means  of  arches  or  other 
open  passages,  to  be  provided  by  the  corporations  construct- 
ing the  over- head  crossing  from  Exchange  place. 

The  Commissioners  furthermore  proposed  to  the  railroad 
corporations  that  the  city  w^ould  allow  them  the  value  of  such 
railroad  buildings  as  may  be  taken  from  them  by  the  city, 
their  value  to  be  fixed  by  three  disinterested  referees  to  be 
appointed  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Rhode  Island.  It  is 
hoped  that  the  city  council  will  approve  this  offer,  as  equitable 
in  respect  to  the  railroad  companies,  and  as  an  important  con- 
dition in  securing  to  the  city  valuable  lands  now  occupied  by 
these  buildings. 

The  Commissioners  estimate  the  areas  of  land  to  be 
exchanged  foot  for  foot  to  be  as  follows : 


%  „ 


12 


CITY  DOCmiENT. 


[No.  14. 


take  all  lands  abandoned  by  the  several  railroad  companies 
in  consequence  of  the  changes  in  location  proposed  by  the 
Commissioners,  and  in  lieu  thereof  would  convey  to  the  sev- 
eral corporations  a  like  amount  of  land  in  the  cove  or  on  the 
cove  lands,  to  be  occupied  for  railroad  purposes.  Secondly, 
the  city,  having  caused  the  walls  of  the  projected  channels  of 
the  Woonasquatucket  and  Moshassuck  rivers  to  be  built,  and 
the  cove  basin  to  be  filled,  would  convey  for  railroad  pur- 
poses such  areas  of  land  as  they  might  require,  at  the  price 
of  one  dollar  per  foot  for  the  cove  and  the  cove  promenade, 
and  seventy-five  cents  per  foot  for  the  cove  lands  lying  west 
of  the  cove  promenade.  It  was  also  proposed  by  the  Com* 
missioners  that  the  Boston  and  Providence  and  Providence 
and  Worcester  Kailroad  Companies  should  not  be  required  to 
pay  for  the  area  covered  by  the  water  of  the  Woonasqua- 
tucket river,  but  should  be  allowed  to  extend  their  tracks  and 
buildings  over  it,  with  the  stipulation  that  these  corporations 
should  cover  this  channel  ni  a  substantial  manner,  and  main- 
tain this  covering ;  and  these  corporations  were  also  required 
to  keep  open  a  street  not  less  than  sixty  feet  in  width  leading 
from  the  Canal  street  crossing  to  the  northerly  end  of  the 
crossing  from  Exchange  place,  and  also  connecting  with  the 
freight  yards  west  of  the  cove  by  means  of  arches  or  other 
open  passages,  to  be  provided  by  the  corporations  construct- 
ing the  over-head  crossing  from  Exchange  place. 

The  Commissioners  furthermore  proposed  to  the  railroad 
corporations  that  the  city  would  allow  them  the  value  of  such 
railroad  buildings  as  may  be  taken  from  them  by  the  city, 
their  value  to  be  fixed  by  three  disinterested  referees  to  be 
appointed  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Rhode  Island.  It  is 
hoped  that  the  city  council  will  approve  this  offer,  as  equitable 
in  respect  to  the  railroad  companies,  and  as  an  important  con- 
dition in  securing  to  the  city  valuable  lands  now  occupied  by 
these  buildings. 

The  Commissioners  estimate  the  areas  of  land  to  be 
exchanged  foot  for  foot  to  be  as  follows  : 


OP 


BE  POET  ON  R.  B.  TEBMINAL  FACILITIES. 


13 


With  the  Boston  and   Providence   Railroad  Company, 
172,062  feet. 

With  the  Providence  and  Worcester  Raih-oad  Company, 
143,966  feet. 

With  the  New  York,  Providence  and  Boston  Railroad 
Company,  144,285  feet. 

With  the  New  York  and  New  England  Railroad  Company, 
124,309  feet. 

With  the  Providence  and  Springfield  Railroad  Company, 
  feet. 

Leaving,  of  the  cove  and  cove  promenade,  969,511  feet,  and 
of  the  cove  lands  685,030  feet,  part  or  all  of  which  may  be 
sold  to  the  several  railroad  companies.  Estimating  this  area 
of  land  at  the  prices  fixed  by  the  Commissioners,  after  ^ 
deducting  the  cost  of  filling  the  cove,  computed  by  engineers 
to  be  33 J  cents  per  foot,  and  appraising  the  lands  on  Canal 
street.  Exchange  place  and  Cove  street  at  their  value  to  the 
city,  the  Commissioners  hope  that  the  city  council  will  not 
think  that  the  interests  of  the  city  have  been  neglected  by 
them. 

The  necessity  of  improving  the  communications  between 
the  tenth  ward  and  that  part  of  the  first  ward  lying  to  the 
west  of  the  railroads  and  the  easterly  part  of  the  city,  requires 
the  construction,  by  the  Boston  and  Providence  and  Provi- 
dence and  Worcester  Railroad  Companies,  of  an  over-head 
crossing  at  Charles  street,  with  approaches  from  Admiral 
street  and  from  the  northerly  part  of  Charles  street  at  a  grade 
not  exceeding  three  feet  per  hundred,  and  with  an  approach 
from  the  southerly  side  of  Charles  street  commencing  at  the 
junction  of  West  River  and  Charles  streets.  The  Commis- 
sioners think  it  advisable  that  this  grade  from  West  River 
street  should  be  established,  but  they  recommend  the  city  to 
assume  the  cost  of  making  this  approach  beyond  the  estimated 
expense  of  an  approach  on  a  grade  of  three  feet  per  hundred. 
Plans  of  this  bridge  and  its  several  approaches,  including 
necessary  changes  in  Burt  street,  are  herewith  submitted. 


14 


CITY  DOCUMENT. 


[No.  14. 


After  a  careful  examination  of  the  existing  grade  crossings 
at  Ashburton  and  Webster  streets,  the  Commissioners  are 
satisfied  that,  with  the  proposed  bridge  at  Charles  street  and 
with  the  existing  bridge  at  Martin  street,  ample  facilities  of 
communication  will  be  provided,  and  they  think  the  continu- 
ance of  these  grade  crossings  dangerous  and  inexpedient. 
They  therefore  recommend  their  discontinuance,  and  the 
opening  of  a  street  parallel  to  and  west  of  the  railroad  loca- 
tion, extending  from  Martin  street  in  a  northerly  direction 
until  it  intersects  Charles  street.  By  this  street  access  to 
the  Martin  street  bridge  will  be  made  easy  to  those  who  have 
heretofore  crossed  the  tracks  at  grade.  The  Commissioners 
have  also  prepared  plans  showing  a  much  needed  improve- 
ment in  the  widening  of  the  narrow  part  of  Charles  street, 
and  of  Mill  street  between  North  Main  street  and  Randall 
square,  and  also  plans  showing  a  proposed  widening  of  the 
upper  part  of  Canal  street,  and  a  new  street  parallel  with 
Canal  street  and  leading  to  the  crossing  to  the  freight  yards 
of  the  Boston  and  Worcester  railroads. 

In  order  to  give  the  manufacturing  establishments  in  the 
valley  of  the  Woonasquatucket  convenient  access  to  that  part 
of  the  city  lying  south  of  the  railroads,  the  Commissioners 
recommend  that  the  several  railroad  corporations  which  enter 
the  city  from  the  west  be  required  to  build  a  bridge  over 
their  tracks  from  Elizabeth  street  to  Harris  avenue,  and  that 
the  grade  of  Harris  avenue  be  raised  from  Eagle  street  to  its 
junctio)!  with  this  bridge.  They  have  already  advised  the 
lay-out  and  extension  of  West  Exchange  street  from  its 
junction  with  the  railroad  location  opposite  the  northerly  end 
of  Elizabeth  street,  in  a  straight  line  in  an  easterly  direction 
until  it  intersects  Cove  street,  and  to  this  recommendation 
they  add  the  suggestion  that  the  city  should  extend  West 
Exchange  street  from  its  junction  with  the  proposed  bridge 
at  Elizabeth  street,  in  a  direction  generally  parallel  to  the 
railroad  location,  until  it  intersects  Atwell's  avenue  at  a  point 


14 


CITY  DOCUMENT. 


[No.  14. 


After  a  careful  examination  of  the  existing  grade  crossings 
at  Ashburton  and  Webster  streets,  the  Commissioners  are 
satisfied  that,  with  the  proposed  bridge  at  Charles  street  and 
with  the  existing  bridge  at  Martin  street,  ample  facilities  of 
communication  will  be  provided,  and  they  think  the  continu- 
ance of  these  grade  crossings  dangerous  and  inexpedient. 
They  therefore  recommend  their  discontinuance,  and  the 
opening  of  a  street  parallel  to  and  west  of  the  railroad  loca- 
tion, extending  from  Martin  street  in  a  northerly  direction 
until  it  intersects  Charles  street.  By  this  street  access  to 
the  Martin  street  bridge  will  be  made  easy  to  those  who  have 
heretofore  crossed  the  tracks  at  grade.  The  Commissioners 
have  also  prepared  plans  showing  a  much  needed  improve- 
ment in  the  widening  of  the  narrow  part  of  Charles  street, 
and  of  Mill  street  between  North  Main  street  and  Randall 
square,  and  also  plans  showing  a  proposed  widening  of  the 
upper  part  of  Canal  street,  and  a  new  street  parallel  with 
Canal  street  and  leading  to  the  crossing  to  the  freight  yards 
of  the  Boston  and  Worcester  raih'oads. 

In  order  to  give  the  manufacturing  establishments  in  the 
valley  of  the  Woonasquatucket  convenient  access  to  that  part 
of  the  city  lying  south  of  the  railroads,  the  Commissioners 
recommend  that  the  several  railroad  corporations  which  enter 
the  city  from  the  west  be  required  to  build  a  bridge  over 
their  tracks  from  Elizabeth  street  to  Harris  avenue,  and  that 
the  grade  of  Harris  avenue  be  raised  from  Eagle  street  to  its 
junctio)!  with  this  bridge.  They  have  already  advised  the 
lay-out  and  extension  of  West  Exchange  street  from  its 
junction  with  the  railroad  location  opposite  the  northerly  end 
of  Elizabeth  street,  in  a  straight  line  in  an  easterly  direction 
until  it  intersects  Cove  street,  and  to  this  recommendation 
they  add  the  suggestion  that  the  city  should  extend  West 
Exchange  street  from  its  junction  with  the  proposed  bridge 
at  Elizabeth  street,  in  a  direction  generally  parallel  to  the 
railroad  location,  until  it  intersects  Atwell's  avenue  at  a  point 


PR'O  POSED 

BRIDGE  ^APPROACHES 
^^IJ^ABETH  STREET 

CROSSING 


APHIL.IHHS. 

Scale  of  Plan  and  Profiles  100ft.  perinch. 


3^ 

1 

52 

I 


BE  POET  ON  B.  B.  TEBMINAL  FACILITIES. 


15 


just  above  the  bridge  over  the  railroad  on  that  avenue.  The 
Commissioners  think  the  easy  grades  in  this  proposed  exten- 
sion of  West  Exchange  street  would  essentially  relieve  other 
streets  now  over-crowded,  and  would  prove  of  great  advan- 
tage to  the  manufacturing  interests  of  that  part  of  the  city. 
Plans  showing  the  lay-out  of  this  street,  together  with  the  pro- 
posed width  and  grade  of  West  Exchange  street,  and  Harris 
avenue,  and  the  Elizabeth  street  bridge,  are  herewith  respect- 
fully submitted  to  the  wisdom  of  the  city  council. 

Should  the  city  council  adopt  these  recommendations  of  the 
Commissioners,  there  will  be  no  grade  crossing  within  the  city 
limits  over  the  railroads  entering  the  cove,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  that  at  Olneyville  near  the  Weybosset  Mill,  and  which 
cannot  easily  be  changed.  In  addition  to  the  imm.unity  from 
the  perils  and  the  delays  of  grade  crossings,  which  disable 
business  and  depreciate  all  property  in  the  tenth  ward  and  in 
much  of  the  first  ward,  ample  and  convenient  means  of  com- 
munication are  contemplated,  which  the  commissioners  think 
will  afford  permanent  relief  to  this  important  section  of  the 
city. 

The  great  inconvenience  and  the  obvious  danger  resulting 
from  the  occupation  by  the  railroad  companies  of  Market 
Square,  South  Water  and  Dyer  streets,  and  also  of  Dorrance 
street,  for  the  transportation  of  merchandise,  led  the  Com- 
missioners to  inquire  whether  some  different  means  of  reach- 
ing the  warehouses  and  wharves  now  connected  with  the  rail- 
roads could  not  be  devised,  that,  without  materially  altering 
the  cost  of  delivering  their  freight  would  relieve  these  great 
thoroughfiires  from  the  occupation  by  the  railroads,  which  is 
both  an  inconvenience  and  a  source  of  great  peril  to  our  citi- 
zens. Plans  are  herewith  submitted,  with  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  Commissioners,  showing  a  proposed  extension  of 
the  Stonington  railroad  tracks  from  their  pier  above  Field's 
Point,  through  Allen's  avenue  to  Crary  street,  and  thence  to 
Point  street,  crossing  Langley  and  Manchester  streets  and 


16 


CITY  DOCUMENT. 


[No.  14. 


the  intervening  private  property.  From  Point  street  the 
proposed  line  extends  through  a  short  piece  of  Eddy  street  to 
Dyer  street,  and  thence  it  runs  to  the  south  side  of  Crawford 
street  bridge.  The  Commissioners  recommend  that  the  Ston- 
ingtou  Railroad  Company  be  allowed  to  construct  this  line, 
and  to  employ  dummy  engines  between  Point  street  and  the 
Crawford  street  bridge,  provided  they  will  bind  themselves 
to  transport  merchandise  in  cars  brought  to  them  by  all  other 
railroads,  or  destined  for  connecting  railroads,  at  prices 
which  will  be  equitable  and  not  burdensome  to  the  business  of 
our  merchants.  The  widening  of  the  westerly  part  of  Eddy 
street  between  Point  and  Dyer  streets  would  seem  desirable, 
in  connection  with  this  practical  dedication  of  these  streets 
to  the  transportation  of  heavy  merchandise  by  steam  power, 
which  the  Commissioners  think  should  be  allowed. 

The  abandonment  of  the  rails  now  laid  through  Canal 
street.  Market  square  and  South  Water  street,  will  require 
all  merchandise  destined  to  the  wdiarves  and  warehouses  on 
South  Water  and  India  streets,  or  forwarded  from  these 
streets,  to  be  transported  through  India  street,  across  thebridge 
belonging  to  the  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad  Company, 
to  its  destination.  As  the  Providence  and  Worcester  Rail- 
road has  now  a  track  on  the  east  side  of  the  Blackstone 
river,  connecting  their  main  line  at  Valley  Falls  with  the 
railroad  bridge  at  India  Point,  there  exists  no  practical  diffi- 
culty in  the  way  of  this  change ;  but  these  two  railroads 
should  agree  that  the  cost  of  transporting  over  their  tracks 
to  or  from  India  street  and  South  Water  street  their  own 
cars  and  cars  brought  to  them  from  all  connecting  railroads 
should  be  equitable  and  not  burdensome.  Tolls  which  would 
make  the  cost  of  transporting  merchandise  greater  on  India 
and  South  Water  streets  than  on  Dyer  street,  would  be  a  mani- 
fest injury  to  business  and  property  on  the  former  streets.  The 
Commissioners  advise  that  the  city  council  consent  to  another 
line  of  tracks  on  India  street,  should  an  increase  of  traffic 


16 


CITY  DOCUMENT. 


[No.  14. 


the  intervening  private  property.  From  Point  street  the 
proposed  line  extends  through  a  short  piece  of  Eddy  street  to 
Dyer  street,  and  thence  it  runs  to  the  south  side  of  Crawford 
street  bridge.  The  Commissioners  recommend  that  the  Ston- 
ingtou  Railroad  Company  be  allowed  to  construct  this  line, 
and  to  employ  dummy  engines  between  Point  street  and  the 
Crawford  street  bridge,  provided  they  will  bind  themselves 
to  transport  merchandise  in  cars  brought  to  them  by  all  other 
railroads,  or  destined  for  connecting  railroads,  at  prices 
which  will  be  equitable  and  not  burdensome  to  the  business  of 
our  merchants.  The  widening  of  the  westerly  part  of  Eddy 
street  between  Point  and  Dyer  streets  would  seem  desirable, 
in  connection  with  this  practical  dedication  of  these  streets 
to  the  transportation  of  heavy  merchandise  by  steam  power, 
which  the  Commissioners  think  should  be  allowed. 

The  abandonment  of  the  rails  now  laid  through  Canal 
street.  Market  square  and  South  Water  street,  will  require 
all  merchandise  destined  to  the  w^iarves  and  warehouses  on 
South  Water  and  India  streets,  or  forwarded  from  these 
streets,  to  be  transported  through  India  street,  across  the  bridge 
belonging  to  the  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad  Company, 
to  its  destination.  As  the  Providence  and  Worcester  Rail- 
road has  now  a  track  ou  the  east  side  of  the  Blackstone 
river,  connecting  their  main  line  at  Valley  Falls  with  the 
railroad  bridge  at  India  Point,  there  exists  no  practical  diffi- 
culty in  the  way  of  this  change;  but  these  two  railroads 
should  agree  that  the  cost  of  transporting  over  their  tracks 
to  or  from  India  street  and  South  Water  street  their  own 
cars  and  cars  brought  to  them  from  all  connecting  railroads 
should  be  equitable  and  not  burdensome.  Tolls  which  would 
make  the  cost  of  transporting  merchandise  greater  on  India 
and  South  Water  streets  than  on  Dyer  street,  would  be  a  mani- 
fest injury  to  business  and  property  on  the  former  streets.  The 
Commissioners  advise  that  the  city  council  consent  to  another 
line  of  tracks  on  India  street,  should  an  increase  of  traffic 


REPORT  ON  R.  R,  TERMINAL  FACILITIES. 


17 


make  it  desirable  for  the  railroads  to  have  another  line. 
From  India  street  cars  should  be  hauled  by  horses  to  any 
point  on  South  Water  street  not  above  Crawford  streetbridge. 

The  time  may  not  be  remote  when  the  increasing  com- 
merce of  the  city  may  also  require  the  connection  by  rail  of 
the  east  and  west  sides  of  the  river,  by  means  of  a  railroad 
bridge  running  from  India  street  across  to  Hill's  wharf,  with 
a  wide  draw  to  be  closed  only  while  trains  are  crossing  it. 
Such  a  bridge  would  offer  but  inconsiderable  obstruction  to 
the  limited  navigation  of  the  river  above  it,  and  would  facili- 
tate the  movement  of  heavy  merchandise  by  surrounding  the 
city  with  a  belt  of  railroad  tracks,  so  protected  as  to  inter- 
fere in  a  small  degree  with  the  ordinary  use  of  the  public 
highways.  No  plans  of  this  bridge  have  been  prepared  by 
the  Commissioners,  but  it  presents  no  engineering  difficulties, 
and  may  be  constructed  whenever  it  becomes  a  public  want. 

Prosecuting  their  investigations  with  respect  to  terminal 
facilities,  the  Commissioners  endeavored  to  mature  some  plan 
by  which,  through  the  agency  of  the  Bristol  Railroad,  the 
cities  of  Providence  and  Fall  Eiver  might  be  brought  into 
closer  connection  and  more  intimate  business  relations.  The 
trade  of  Fall  River  seems  naturally  to  belong  to  Providence 
rather  than  to  the  remoter  market  of  Boston,  and  to  culti- 
vate the  trade  of  this  growing  and  active  city  is  obviously  a 
matter  of  great  importance  to  the  merchants  of  Providence, 
who  will  gratefully  appreciate  the  co-operation  of  the  Provi- 
dence, Warren  and  Bristol  Railroad  Company  in  promoting 
their  interests  in  this  direction.  The  Commissioners  have 
no  power  to  carry  into  effect  any  plan  which  they  might  pro- 
pose, but  they  earnestly  hope  that  the  Bristol  Railroad  may 
soon  be  able  to  enter  India  street  without  the  existing  tedi- 
ous delays,  and  that  the  terminus  of  this  road  in  Provi- 
dence may  be  more  accessible  and  nearer  to  the  center  of 
business  than  the  present  inconvenient  station.  Plans  and 
estimates,  showing  the  cost  of  bringing  this  railroad  through 
3 


18 


CITY  DOCUMENT. 


[No.  14. 


a  tunnel  to  Market  Square,  have  been  prepared,  and  also 
plans  and  estimates  for  an  elevated  railroad  for  passengers  from 
India  street  to  the  Crawford  street  bridge.  Should  the  Bristol 
Railroad  Company  desire  to  adopt  either  of  these  plans,  the 
Commissioners  hope  the  city  council  will  grant  them  their 
permission. 

Before  determining  the  width  of  the  proposed  walled  chan- 
nel of  the  Woonasquatucket  river  through  the  present  cove 
basin,  the  Commissioners  endeavored  to  ascertain  the  maxi- 
mum flow  of  this  river,  for  which  a  sufficient  outlet  should  be 
provided.  While  engaged  in  the  surveys  and  computations 
necessary  to  enable  them  to  decide  this  question.  His  Honour 
the  Mayor  with  an  intelligent  solicitude  for  the  safety  of  life 
and  property  in  the  city,  requested  them  to  extend  their 
investigations,  and  to  examine  such  dams  and  reservoirs  on 
this  river  as  they  might  regard  as  sources  of  peril.  Before 
receiving  the  report  of  Messrs.  J.  Herbert  Shedd  and  S.  B. 
Cushing,  the  engineers  charged  with  the  examination  of  the 
Georgiaville  dam,  a  Commissioner  of  Dams  was  appointed 
by  authority  of  an  act  passed  at  the  present  session  of  the 
General  Assembly,  and  thereafter  the  Commissioners  sus- 
pended all  further  examination  of  dams  upon  this  river.  The 
report  of  Messrs.  Shedd  and  Cushing  will  be  communicated 
to  His  Honour  the  Mayor,  as  soon  as  the  engineers  have 
reduced  their  conclusions  to  writing. 

The  Commissioners  intimated  to  the  representatives  of  the 
railroad  corporations  that  the  city  would  not  require  imme- 
diate payment  for  such  areas  of  land  as  they  might  decide  to 
purchase,  but  would  consult  the  convenience  of  these  corpo- 
rations in  fixing  the  dates  of  payment,  the  city  meanwhile 
holding  the  title  to  the  land,  and  receiving  interest  on  all 
deferred  payments.  The  Commissioners  think  it  would  be 
good  policy  for  the  city  to  require  prompt  payment  from  the 
Boston  and  Providence  and  Providence  and  Worcester  Rail- 
road Companies  only  for  the  cost  of  filling  the  cove  and 


REPORT  ON  R.  R.  TERMINAL  FACILITIES. 


19 


building  the  walls  of  the  channels  of  the  two  rivers,  and  to 
consent  to  easy  terms  for  payment  of  the  remainder  due  the 
city  for  land  purchased  by  these  corporations,  and  also  to 
require  from  the  raih^oad  companies  entering  the  city  from 
the  west  a  cash  payment  sufficient  only  to  protect  the  inter- 
ests of  the  city,  allowing  these  coiporations  an  extended  time 
for  further  and  final  payments,  they  also  paying  interest  upon 
all  deferred  payments.  All  allowances  made  by  the  city  for 
railroad  buildings  taken  are  to  be  credited  to  the  several 
railroad  corporations  as  payments  for  land  purchased  by  them 
from  the  city. 

The  relations  of  the  city  to  the  Providence  and  Springfield 
Railroad  Company,  as  guarantor  of  the  mortgage  bonds  of 
this  railroad  company,  to  the  extent  of  half  a  million  dollars, 
may  require  the  city  to  protect  her  interests  by  furnishing 
such  terminal  facilities  for  freight  and  passengers  as  the 
Providence  and  Springfield  Eailroad  Company  may  be  unable 
to  provide  from  their  own  resources,  and  to  lease  the  same 
for  an  equitable  rental  to  be  paid  by  this  corporation.  The 
city  has  so  large  a  stake  in  the  property  and  success  of  this 
railroad  that  she  cannot  afford  to  deprive  it  of  the  advantage 
of  adequate  freight  facilities  and  of  occupation  of  the  pro- 
posed new  passenger  station,  which  the  resources  of  the 
Company  may  be  insufficient  to  purchase.  This  considera- 
tion, added  to  their  conviction  of  the  importance  of  reserving 
accommodations  for  any  other  railroad  which  may  hereafter 
wish  to  enter  the  cove  station,  decided  the  Commissioners  to 
recommend  the  city  of  Providence  to  acquire  occupancy  in 
the  proposed  passenger  station  of  two  or  more  tracks, 
together  with  the  rights  belonging  to  them  in  common  with 
other  ownerships.  One  of  these  tracks  would  be  leased  to 
the  Providence  and  Springfield  Railroad  Company,  and  the 
other  would  be  reserved  for  any  railroad  which  may  hereafter 
require  such  accommodations. 

The  Commissioners  regret  that  they  are  unable  to  report 


20 


CITY  DOCUMENT. 


[No.  14. 


the  acceptance  by  the  several  railroad  corporations  of  the 
plans  proposed  to  them  and  the  terms  offered  them,  subject 
to  the  approval  of  the  city  council ;  but  the  intricacy  and 
magnitude  of  the  questions  which  demanded  their  patient 
investigation  prevented  the  Commissioners  from  perfecting 
their  plans  in  season  to  afford  these  corporations  sufficient 
time  to  decide  their  own  action  before  the  date  at  which  the 
Commissioners  were  instructed  to  report  to  the  city  council 
their  "plans  for  the  increase  of  railroad  terminal  focilities  for 
both  freight  and  passengers,  and  such  new  streets  as  may  be 
necessary  in  consequence  of  the  adoption  of  their  proposed 
plan  or  plans."  They  have  no  reason  to  doubt  that,  after 
prudent  deliberation,  the  several  railroad  corporations  will 
adopt  the  plans  proposed  to  them,  and  accept  the  very  liberal 
conditions  offered  them.  More  favorable  conditions  they 
cannot  reasonably  expect,  nor  should  the  city  approve  these 
terms  of  sale  unless  with  the  assurance  that  the  railroad  cor- 
porations will  faithfully  cari:y  into  execution  the  plans  for 
improvements  w^hich,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Commissioners, 
alone  justify  the  city  in  accepting  the  moderate  prices  pro- 
posed for  these  lands. 

The  Commissioners  respectfully  submit  this  report  of  their 
action  upon  the  important  subjects  which  the  flattering 
selection  of  His  Honour  the  Mayor  referred  to  their  consider- 
ation. They  hope  that  their  conclusions  may  commend  them- 
selves alike  to  the  intelligent  apprehension  of  the  railroad  cor- 
porations and  to  the  wisdom  of  the  city  council.  Should 
their  plans  be  carried  into  effect,  they  will  rejoice  in  the 
thought  that  their  labors  have  in  any  degree  promoted  the 
present  prosperity  of  the  city,  and  have  opened  wider  pros- 
pects of  future  growth  and  commercial  importance.  And 
even  if,  unfortunately  to  the  city  and  to  the  railroads,  the 
present  generation  of  men  fail  to  reap  the  benefits  of  these 
projected  public  improvements,  the  Commissioners  will  not 
be  deprived  of  the  satisfaction  of  reflecting  upon  their  pro- 


REPORT  ON  R.  R.  TERMINAL  FACILITIES. 


21 


tracted  and  conscientious  labors  in  the  service  of  the  city,  nor 
will  they  cease  to  hope  that  they  have  in  some  degree  has- 
tened the  period  when  the  appliances  of  comfort  and  luxury 
shall  be  brought  within  the  reach  of  a  widening  circle  of  their 
fellow  citizens,  and  when  food  and  fuel  shall  be  cheaper  in 
the  abodes  of  those  "  whose  lot  it  is  to  labor  and  earn  their 
bread  by  the  sweat  of  the  brow." 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted, 

WM.  GODDAKD, 
S.  S.  SPRAGUE, 
ROBERT  KNIGHT, 
H.  E.  WELLMAN, 
CHARLES  WARREN  LIPPITT. 

Providence,  April  1st,  1882. 


MAR  1-^9*° 


* 


I 


